Heroes of the Fall

[Gengy]

The Jongoborn Spread
Written on caves within the Sea of Jongo by Gene, first Gwenie

After Creator-Father-Mother had taught us enough, and deemed us ready, and after the many blessings we received from life, water, air, and others, many Jongoborn chose to attempt the difficult task of walking upon land.

First to succeed was Roe, also know as the Quick. Roe traveled south, towards the fox-friends, and there walked upon the land that Creator-Father-Mother called the Valley of Gozan.

Roe changed into a Fox, and has not been seen for some time.

Second upon land was Samm the Stout. Large of frame, and a perfect defender of our people, Samm swam Northeast, to the lands of Markien, to seek out Creator-Father-Mother's brother, the noble Grassblade.

Samm has sent back messages that marvel most, with tales of huts made of giant stones and Dorphs beyond counting.

Third to leave, and to the most sadness of us all, was Dors, He Who Can Change. It is said that Dors was given a task by Creator-Father-Mother to find one of Creator-Father-Mother's siblings, the one known as Porcupine. Creator-Father-Mother sent Dors in the direction towards the land known as the Skrayling Marsh, with instructions to find the rest point known as Hastings.

With Dors went several others, but they would leave him before he reached the Marsh-land. Given another task to seek out The Olm, and the Flower goddess, the best known from this group was Charlie the Chattering, gifted with unusual verbosity and ability to perfectly mimic tones and voices beyond even the regular Jongoghet.

Erin, a skilled Gwenie, went to seek out the one known as Duckie. The waves carry her tales back to us, and she is learning many things about magic, she says.

Rione the Friendly decided to go to Salus, to meet with Creator-Father-Mother's niece, Amanda-dear. Creator-Father-Mother constantly speaks of her and her shiny chest friend, to the point that Rione just decided to leave and see Amanda-dear.

Those six names shall live now in these waters, carved in these caves for all time. May they Live Fully, and Find an Answer.

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Lors
A journal excerpt

They call me The Unusual Shaman now. I used to just be the strange kid. Everyone liked me, mostly. But then, I kept out of everyone's way. It was the smarter thing to do.

After all, I'm pretty much the only one to see The Colors like I do.

I've tried to explain to many people what it is that I see. A shifting, never ending stream of the rainbow, each pointing to something important. Each a different aspect of something. But no one understands or believes me. Even my teacher, Old Man Thymm, did not believe me. He tried to teach me how to do things his way, but I always had to fake it.

Which, I admit, was kinda fun. Hiding what I could do from him, I mean.

I saw the Colors, and worked the Ways, and he thought I was doing Shaman things. I wasn't. It was just more Colors.

The Flower Goddess - and I'm the only one to call Fayruz that - is bathed in whites and pinks, and the other colors dance around her and... I know her name is Sonata, but every time I see her, even from a distance, my mind just calls her Iris. Iris is otherwise infused with a light blue, the color of the rain. It drips around her, like a gentle mist.

I can always tell where they are at all time, just by looking.

I've tried to get in and speak with them, in person, but The Flower Goddess has always been busy with healing people and helping them. She tries to see everyone. And I do mean everyone. I guess there just hasn't been anything pressing that has made me want to go hug see her.

And something happened to Iris that made her light just... disappear for a while. It's back, but it was just... gone.

I didn't know the Colors could do that. Disappear like that. I haven't seen it happen again - not to Iris or Flower - so I think it's a Goddess thing.

There are quite a few things that are... Goddess things.

Things I can't explain.

Things that I've tried to look at, while I wandered the Olm. But I've never been able to explain them.

So I just dealt with them as best I could.

My previous entry in this journal details it better, but as I write this, I'm reminded of the Sand Bats that descended on the Olm one year. They came in the night. No one saw them. No one else knew they were coming. And it was a large flock, sure to be able to do damage to the city and the people here. But I saw their inky blackness. The Colors warned me of their approach.

I tried to tell mighty Gamesha, but getting in to see him is almost as hard as getting in to see Flower Goddess. She's only more difficult because of all the supplicants who want to see her AND Gamesha blocking the way. Regardless, Gamesha still barely even knows I exist. He didn't feel that my Shaman status -- if that's what I have to be called -- warranted enough to bother him when he was busy dealing with whatever emergency had popped up that day.

I don't even remember what it was, but it must have been important. I left him to it. I had to deal with the Sand Bats myself. No one else would believe me that they were already in the city, hiding in Old Man Thymm's old home. It's lucky he passed away the week before, Flower Goddess rest his soul. He would have been the first victim otherwise. Him or whoever moved into his house. Well, my house now. I moved in after dealing with the Sand Bats.

It seemed appropriate.

I've dealt with other things, now that I think of it. There were the River Baracuda -- no one believed the spirit of the Olm would allow them in her waters -- which had been eating goats, and the Colors showed that that swam in the water like moving Blood Red dots. Three weeks of fishing, non-stop, and they were finally gone. I still feel bad for the goats.

The Strange Ravens. I still don't know what they were. Just a flock of weird black birds. But they glowed with an icy black. Still, capture them in a net, and they made for good eating. Much better tasting then the Baracuda.

Oh. And the Shadow. I still need to deal with that thing. It shows up occasionally, but as soon as I see it, it just disappears. Gone from my sight, like Iris was. It hasn't done anything -- yet -- but it feels wrong. It's not really black, but it's not grey either. It's like there was a Color that was in a dark room, and cast a shadow onto the floor of the room. That's what it feels like, at least. So, the Shadow is what I call it.

I've tried -- several times -- to tell guards about it. As a boy, they wouldn't listen to me because I was too young. As a man of nearly 58 years old, they just see me as... Unusual. Another weird Shaman. Every guard seems to know me by sight now, and while it's nice that they nod and listen, no one seems to pay attention.

They can't see what I see.

That's fine. I know it's there.

So I'll keep doing what I can, and protect the Olm in my own way. Maybe one of these days, they'll treat me seriously.

And maybe one of these days, I'll figure out why I can see the Colors.

And why, every time I see the Flower Goddess, I want to rush up and hug her.

I have to stop writing now. I see a very large color at the front gate. It's a mix of deep blues and primal sky colors. I better go see what it is.

If the guards will even let me past.